Speaking on Thursday to local media for the first time since
arriving in Miami, Messi described his move to the American club as the
“opposite” of his transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain.
Messi, who has scored nine goals in six appearances since
joining Miami, joined the MLS club after two seasons in France with PSG.
At the press conference, a smiling and relaxed Messi talked
positively of his life in South Florida and contrasted it with his time in the
French capital.
“As I said at the time, my departure to Paris was not
something I wanted, it was not something I wanted to leave Barcelona and, so to
speak, it was from one day to the next,” he said.
“And, well, I also had to get used to a place that was
totally different from where I had been living all my life, both in terms of
the city and in a sporting sense, and, well, it was difficult, but the opposite
of what is happening to me now here,” he said.
The seven-times Ballon d’Or winner has the chance to win his
first trophy when Miami take on Nashville on Saturday in the final of the
Leagues Cup.
I feel very happy to be here: Messi speaks after dream debut
in U.S.
It would also be his club’s first triumph in just their
third season of existence.
“It would be amazing, wouldn’t it? Both for me and for all
the people who are fans of the club, for the club itself,” he said.
“We want to be a point of reference and winning a title
would help a lot in that. It is a very young club, it has been around for a
very short time, and to win our first title would be great for all of us,” he
said.
Despite huge expectations and the hope that the Argentine
World Cup winner will lead the sport to new heights in the United States, Messi
said he was simply enjoying the game and his life.
“The truth is that I don’t think about all those things, I
simply came here to play, to continue enjoying football, which is what I have
liked all my life and I chose this place for that reason, above all things,” he
said.
“I can tell you that I am very happy with the decision we
made, not only for the game, for how it is going, but for my family, for how we
live day by day, for how we enjoy the city, for this new experience and the
reception of the people that was extraordinary from the first day, not only in
Miami.
“I made two away trips with the team and the treatment of
the people towards me was spectacular. So I am grateful and happy for the
moment I am living and above all to be able to continue enjoying what I liked
all my life, to play and to be able to do it in this way with joy,” he said.